


With the Dim Lights On

by Fuleao



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, as in Get Ready To Lose All Your Teeth From Sappiness fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 17:03:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13171329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fuleao/pseuds/Fuleao
Summary: Get yourself a girl who's always down for shenanigans.





	With the Dim Lights On

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BlueSpaceQueen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueSpaceQueen/gifts).



Any time there was a festival in town, Magnus and Julia had no problems deciding what to visit first. Whatever other wonders might have been brought into town for the occasion, they could wait until the pair had put something in their ever-gaping stomachs. Both of them were equally weak for sweet as well as savory, so it was harder to predict what specifically would draw them in. On this particular occasion, something cause Magnus’ eye that had him nudging Julia and pointing.

_Ferdinand the Fried Conjurer: Whatever it is, We’ll fry it!_

Julia looked back at Magnus with a devious grin to match his, and the pair moved silently to join the line. Of course, they couldn’t go long without giggling about how well they could agree on something without speaking, and then giggling their upcoming shenanigans.

Julia’s face brightened. “Okay, I know what I’m getting. How ‘bout you?”

“No clue. Tell me what you’re getting, maybe that will help me.”

“Nuh-uh, it’s a surprise.”

“ _Awwwwwww, Jules_ …”

“In _fact,_ why don’t you go wait over there until it’s ready.” Magnus pouted at her, but was easily directed to where she’d pointed with only a gentle shove. He was on board with this plan, he just got bored waiting for Julia. She had to yell at him several times to turn back around.

Finally, Magnus felt a tap on his shoulder. When he turned, the grin on his face faded. The item on the skewer Julia held had a bulbous center, with four long, thin protrusions on either side. Not well defined under the coating, but Magnus had a suspicion.

“Julia, is that…”

“Sure is.”

Magnus took a step back. He wasn’t sure exactly where one would find a spider with a body the size of a kid’s shoe…maybe giant spiders were that size as babies? What he did know was that his girlfriend would not go half-assed with this. “Okay, okay, I get it, the incident last week was hilarious...”

“I don’t think you could get your voice that high again if you tried.”

“Julia, don’t....!”

Julia stared him in the eye as she slowly lifted the spider to her mouth. She was able to keep her deadpan expression as she took a bite, even as Magnus’ face contorted and he whined faintly. But as she chewed, her eye began to twitch, and finally she couldn’t suppress a shudder. “Oh, gods, it’s all crunchy and juicy at the same time. Also really hairy.”

Magnus threw his hands in the air. “Then stop eating it, woman! You’ve proved your point!”

Julia laughed and glanced around. “Here, you do your order, I’ll go get rid of this.” She would later be glad she didn’t walk away before she heard Magnus. “Hi there, do you think you could fry me up a glob of ochre jelly? Maybe like this big?”

Julia froze, then whipped around. ‘Wait, what?”

He blinked at her.

“You know those are _poisonous_?”

“Oh! It’ll be fine, people eat little bits of poisonous stuff. Look, it’s not a lot,” he said, demonstrating the small circle he’d formed with his hands. “And I’ve got hit by ochre jellies before, it’s not that big a deal!”

Julia stepped over to him and gently pulled him out of the line, nodding to the man waiting behind him. “Nah, listen, we’ll workshop it a little. We can come up with something better than that.” And she followed with a little wink, on the side the vendor couldn’t see. Magnus flashed her a grateful – if sheepish - smile.

When Magnus had first arrived, she’d been like everyone else. Not cruel, just exasperated.  _That big, stupid boy, he can’t focus, he doesn’t listen, and when he does he forgets so easily, he wouldn’t get in half the trouble he does if he would just stop and think for a moment._ However, Julia was the first to try something other than just yelling after he screwed up. The first that offered him the help he thought he wasn’t allowed to ask for.

She was also better than most at recognizing when she’d exacerbated things. Once they were farther from the stand, she turned and leaned close to Magnus’ ear. “I won’t tease you about the spiders any more either, okay? Promise.”

He let out a sigh of relief. “It’s cool, you didn’t know.”

They’d disposed of the offending snack before Julia had her idea, the lightbulb moment visible as ever. “Okay, so I played dirty, and now I owe you the chance to prove your guts, right? So how about this: we each secretly order something awful, and we give it to each other to eat, and we don’t say what it is until after.”

He agreed to that immediately. Julia already knew what she was going to do, so Magnus again waited to the side while the food was prepared. This time, he didn’t turn around until Julia tapped him on the shoulder.

“Your dinner, sir,” she drawled. The stick she proffered held a long, simple shape that could have been any number of things. It was perfect.

Magnus chomped into it readily. He slowed as he started to register the taste, brows knitting. A second bite did nothing to clear his expression. “Well, it doesn’t taste bad.” Another bite, and still a complete lack of any kind of concern, only puzzlement. Julia’s face was blank. “Yeah I have no idea. What is it?”

“Unicorn dick.”

Magnus lurched forward, hand over his mouth, and for a glorious moment Julia thought he might throw up. When sound finally started coming out of him, though, it was laughter, not retching. Still good.

“I...I can’t....you....why the fuck.....Julia oh my god I can’t believe you made a _eunich_ -orn...” at which point Julia’s fraying composure fell apart.

The two were leaning on each other for support before Magnus finally caught his breath to speak. “Okay, I figured out what I was gonna do while I was waiting on you. And I promise it’s not poisonous.”

“I appreciate that,” Julia gasped, before sidling off to give him some privacy.

But Magnus was back quickly, quicker than he should have. “Okay, turn around.” Julia was immediately able to identify the object. She could do so because the single red rose Magnus held out was distinctly lacking in any kind of crispy golden coating.

After a few moments of her confused stare, Magnus piped up. “Listen, I know you miss all the flowers this time of year, and I’ve been trying to get you some but none of the merchants have been bringing any, so I got the guy to just summon one!”

“Magnus...”

“And don’t worry, I still paid him!’

Julia blinked, then slowly took the rose from him. She realized she was smiling; not her typical, self-assured smirk, but an open, earnest show of how damn cute she thought this was. And that was okay.

Of course, then she had an idea, and she couldn’t resist adopting a sardonic demeanor as she looked up at Magnus. “You know, this would be really romantic if you weren’t giving me this to eat.”

 “Oh, no, it’s not to eat! That’s...”

Both Julia’s eyebrows rose this time, slowly, dangerously. The look stopped him midsentence. “Magnus  _Terrance_  Burnsides, are you about to deny me a chance to prove my valor, after I showed you mercy?”

 “No, no, of course not...”

But he was fighting a smile, and at his point Julia cracked again. She was giggling as she stepped forward to peck him on the lips. “It was really sweet, you big teddy bear. Thank you.” He hummed, but as he leaned forward, Julia put a hand to his chest. “But also, get that damn flower fried up before I have to leave this town in disgrace.”


End file.
